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From: Amanda Gideon
Hey There!
Okay, my recipe is really simple, but the problem is, I just sort of make it and I really don't have exact measurements for any of it. But I 'll give it a go!

What you need:

• Chop up one large onion (MY MOM SAYS TWO, BUT IT IS GREAT WITH JUST ONE)
• Chop up one green bell pepper
  Chop up a few stalks of celery (3-4) What ever looks right is enough.
• Julienne several carrots to make about 2 cups worth. (You can cut the carrots up any way you like, but I think that Julienne carrots "taste" better) **SEVERAL CLOVES OF GARLIC*** as much as you can stand. The more, the better
• 4-5 cans of beef broth
• 2 cans (16 oz or so) diced tomatoes, and a can or two of stewed tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce (or, if you want you can use regular spaghetti sauce)
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 can of kidney beans
• 1 can of pinto beans
• 1 can of navy or white beans
• salt
• pepper
• basil
• cooked elbow macaroni (3 cups)

What you do:

1. What I do is sauté the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery in a small amount of olive oil until they are tender. (don't brown them)
   (when I say small amount, I mean as little as it takes to prevent them from sticking to the pan).
2. I then add the beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce (you can buy the fat free broth and it really tastes the same) add about a teaspoon of basil (dried). Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
3. While that is simmering, cook your ground beef. It is better if you leave sort of big chunks rather than make it really fine in the cooking
   process. When it is cooked, pour it into a strainer and if you want, rinse it with hot water to get the grease off. (Sounds weird, but it really does turn out okay). Shake off excess fat/water and add meat to soup. Add cans of beans. I drain mine, but you don't have to. It
   just makes soup really thick if you don't.
4. Add Carrots and cover it and let it simmer for about 45 minutes or until it looks right. (I know that the "looks right" comment sounds very unhelpful, but you really will know).
5. Taste it along the way. If it is too acidic, as I am sure it will be, add about a tablespoon of sugar. Add salt to your taste. It shouldn't be as thick as spaghetti sauce, but it should be thicker than a broth. When I use the garlic, I seriously use about 10 cloves, but garlic isn't for everybody. You can put in any veggie that you really like. It's that easy to play around with.
6. I put a little pasta in a bowl and put the soup on top of it.
   
   This is my favorite soup and even my husband who hates vegetables loves it!
   I hope that you enjoy it!

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